Marla's Thoughts and Things

Feeds and Viewing my Feeds in Internet Explorer

2007-06-12T08:52:00.000-07:00

The newest version of Internet Explorer, version 7, makes it very simple to subscribe to rss feeds and to read them without any other software needed. How did I discover this? Duh... I read the Help files in IE--that place we tell students to click when they have a question. Here's what I discovered. This is only applicable if you are using Internet Explorer, version 7.

1. If a web page or blog has an rss feed, the little gray square icon at the top right of your IE screen will turn orange. Click on the orange square icon, and you will see a link that says Subscribe to this feed. Click the link and you are subscribed! That was easy.

2. To read the feeds to which you've subscribed, look for the yellow star at the top left of your IE screen. Click on the yellow star and select Feeds. You can group all your 23 Things feeds into one new folder named 23 Things. Whenever there is a new entry, the feed title is in bold. Just click on the name of the feed to read the new entry. That was easy, too.

I subscribed to RSS feeds!

2007-06-04T09:26:00.000-07:00

You know, I've been trying to figure out RSS and feeds for a couple years with little success. Now, thanks to Alisa's screencast at http://www.freshmancomp.com/screencasts/23Things1/23Things1.html, I think I figured it out.

At least I found the little square orange icon at the top of my Internet Explorer screen and managed to click on it to add feeds from everyone's blog to my reader. After adding every GCC blogger's feed to my IE reader, I then couldn't figure out how to open the reader and see the posts from everyone's blogs. I figured if IE had an orange square icon to add feeds, there must be a menu item to view and sort the feeds, just like I view and sort my Favorites. I explored a bit, and clicked on View Explorer Bar Feeds. Voila! Up popped all the feeds to which I had subscribed! Then, I figured out how to create a folder and dragged all the feeds into one folder in the Internet Explorer feedreader. It really was easier than I expected. Finding that little orange square icon at the top of the screen is what led me to figure it out--and I would have never understood what that icon meant unless I watched Alisa's screencast. Thanks, Alisa!

Surface

2007-05-31T14:56:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen Microsoft's Surface, you're in for a peek into the future--except it's here today! Surface is a tabletop that is actually a computer screen. The tabletop interacts with hands and objects in what is called an intuitive fashion. (I hate that phrase because what's intuitive for me is Greek for other people!) Anyway, surface is really cool because it allows for collaborative interaction and group manipulation of objects on the screen. I don't completely understand it, but from watching the demo at Microsoft, I can envision lots of really cool applications in the classroom!

Here is a talk and demo by Jeff Han that shows the possibilites of a high-resolution multi-touch computer screen that may herald the end of the point-and-click mouse.

Podcasting Lectures

2007-05-23T15:40:00.000-07:00

I've gotten so far away from lectures that I shudder at the idea of anyone audio taping anything that resembles a lecture in my classroom. However, I read an article called CourseCasting Made Easy at the Chronicle of Higher Education. Apparently, at the University of Washington they use a "device called a Barix Instreamer, which takes audio from the classroom PA system and sends it to a university server as an easy-to-use MP3 file." They say the Instreamer is "bulletproof," and the audio is available for download from the servers almost immediately.

Some of our faculty might find this a very convenient way to provide lectures on-demand and online for their students. On the other hand, this really makes it hard to get out of bed to get to a lecture when you can just listen to it on your ipod. Like anything else in life, there are the good and the bad sides of it.

A new me in just minutes!

2007-05-22T08:20:00.000-07:00

The face transformer is fun. I rather like myself transformed, Boticelli-style. Thanks, Karen, for finding the fun stuff for us.

7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners

2007-05-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

For me, the hardest of the 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners is the very first habit--creating a goal. It's very difficult for me to envision the end of a learning experience. I think it's because a goal implies there is an "end," and I find it very hard to pinpoint "the end" of a learning experience. My definition of learning is probably broader and more encompassing than most.

I realize I am more productive when I have specific goals, and the world and the people around me are great at setting my goals for me. This summer course gives me some goals to accomplish new learning that I probably would not accomplish over the summer without the structure and goals it provides. I need an external structure to help me focus my efforts--I do recognize this! I suppose most of us need this.

The easiest of the 7 1/2 Habits are really all of the other habits! I've always felt responsible for my own learning, and usually for that of others around me, too. That's second nature for a teacher, I suppose. Additionally, I am confident in my learning ability, probably from years as a successful student. Even as a child, I loved to teach and mentor others so that's an easy habit, too.

I've always viewed problems as challenges. I'm rather stubborn about not giving up on a problem! There's usually more than one way to skin a cat! ;-)

I've developed my own learning toolbox over the years, and technology is a huge part of that. I use the web as my own personal library, and there aren't many things I can't find somewhere online. I love the web because it does enable me to find and learn whatever I need, whenever I need it. I even love the way I get sidetracked in searching and discover so many other really cool things! I think the web is my favorite learning tool.

It's hard to talk with "Anonymous"...

2007-05-21T07:45:00.000-07:00

And we're off! Today's the first day of 23 Things, our summer learning experience. I listened to Karen's podcast and added links to the other participants blogs to my own blog. I hope everyone signs into Blogger soon and creates a blog because I hate reading entries by "Anonymous." It's really difficult to respond to someone named "Anonymous."

I think it will be interesting to see how we build a community using Blogger. I know it can be done, but I've never participated in this type of community-building. I'd like to use blogs in my classroom, as my students are familiar with them, but I wonder if they can be used to help students work and learn together. We'll find out!

I'm joining the group

2007-05-04T20:45:00.000-07:00

Hello. I've decided to spend a little summer-time learning and playing on the web with my friends. Now that beats the boredom blues, doesn't it? Stay tuned, as I think my friends have some activities in mind that will keep me off the streets and out of trouble!